Biomass energy cost and feasibility of gasifier based biomass power generation system

The present research work has been carried out on biomass based on 10 kW capacity gasifier power generation system installed at College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology,Dr.Panjabrao Deshmukh Agricultural University(Dr.PDKV),Akola Maharashtra,India.The main objectives were to evaluate various costs and benefits involved in the power generation system.The costs of energy per unit were calculated for the first year of operation.The economics of gasifier based power generation system and thereby the feasibility of the system was examined by estimating per unit cost,Net Present Value(NPV),Benefit Cost Ratio(BCR),Internal Rate of Return(IRR)and payback period.The discount cash flow method was used to find out the IRR.In the present analysis,three costs viz.,installed capital cost,operation and maintenance cost,and levelised replacement cost were examined for the evaluation of the power generation per unit.Discount rate on investment in case of subsidy(Case I)and in case without subsidy(Case II)for installation cost of system was considered as 12.75%.The BCR comes in Case I for operating duration of 22 h,20 h,and 16 h are 1.24,1.18,and 1.13,respectively.Similarly for Case II BCR comes 1.44,1.38,and 2.39.The IRR comes in Case I for operating duration of 22 h,20 h,and 16 h are 26%,22%,and 19%,respectively.Similarly for Case II,IRR comes 52%,44%,and 39%for operating duration of 22 h,20 h,and 16 h,respectively.The payback period in the present analysis was worked out.The payback period for biomass based gasifier power generation system was observed to be for Case I from three to four years and for Case II it was one to two years.

Predicting 3D forces of disc tool and soil disturbance area using fuzzy logic model under sensor based soil-bin

A knowledge-based fuzzy logic model was developed on experimental data and used to predict the draft,side and vertical forces and soil disturbance area by disc tillage tool operation.The laboratory research work was conducted to evaluate the performance of the disc tool at three working speeds(1.25 m/s,1.98 m/s and 2.47 m/s,respectively)and depths(0-5 cm,5-10 cm and 10-15 cm,respectively)on paddy soil under soil-bin environment.Further,draft(Fx),side(Fz)and vertical(Fy)forces of disc and soil disturbance area were assessed and predicted towards working speeds and depths.A fuzzy prediction model with two input variables(speed and depth)and four output variables was developed and the Mamdani inference approach was used.Draft,side and vertical forces of disc and soil disturbance area were positively responded 0.97,0.95 and 0.84 and 0.99,respectively.The prediction results showed a close relationship between measured and predicted data.Similarly,the measured and predicted results revealed that the draft,side,vertical forces,and soil disturbance area slightly increased,while increasing the speed and depth of the disc tool.Furthermore,disc forces and soil disturbed area were highly significant(p<0.05)for higher speed towards depth.It was concluded that the fuzzy model may be introduced for predicting the disc forces and soil disturbance area during the disc tillage tool operation with high accuracy.

Sowing uniformity of bed-type pneumatic maize planter at various seedbed preparation levels and machine travel speeds

Precision planters are important machines in the regime of modern technological agriculture.Field conditions,seed metering system and machine operating parameters affect the pneumatic planter performance.The pneumatic planter was evaluated to determine the effect of three tillage levels(L1,L2,and L3)and four travel speeds(S1,S2,S3 and S4).The sowing uniformity of the planter was observed with respect to the horizontal distribution of seeds within a row and described by using the precision index(Ip),the multiple index(Imult),the miss-seeding index(Imiss)and the quality of feed index(Iqf).The results revealed that the tillage levels(L)and travel speed(S)had a significant effect(p<0.05)on dependent variables.The maximum Imiss(22.12%)was observed at L1 and S4 whereas the maximum Imult was observed at L1 and S1.The mean values of missing-,multi-,quality-feed and precision indices were 5.14%,5.833%,89.03%and 17.85%at L3,respectively.The mean values of multi-index 17.59%,14.44%,12.40%and 10.18%,quality feed index 74.07%,75.92%,75.74%and 74.07%and precision indices 21.47%,23.26%,25.51%and 28.53%were at S1,S2,S3 and S4,respectively.The study showed that maize could be seeding within an acceptable precise range by bed-type pneumatic planter subjected to the proper seedbed preparation level.

Furrow design for improving crop establishment of two-wheel tractor operated strip tillage planters in loam and clay loam soils

Conservation agriculture(CA)based production systems may help in achieving more sustainable intensification of cropping systems that use less labour and energy and have higher profit margins,in addition to soil conservation and environmental impact mitigation advantages.But these objectives can only be achieved when the right mechanization options,including appropriate crop establishment equipment,are in place to assist in timely field operations.An urgent need exists,therefore,to fine tune and re-adjust the existing two-wheel tractor(2WT)operated seed drills,with specific reference to the design of blade and furrow openers,while at the same time considering performance in different soil types and environments.To this end,experiments were conducted during 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 at two BARI Regional Agricultural Research Stations in Jamalpur and Barisal,Bangladesh,on a loam and clay loam soil,respectively,to evaluate five types of furrow opener for strip tillage.Shoe and modified shoe-type furrow openers were tested and compared with three inverted-T furrow openers with rake angles of 75°,65°and 55°.The newly designed inverted-T furrow openers were narrower than the shoe-type openers;they also had a longer,hollow shanks and provided better options for adjustment to achieve the desired seeding depth and line spacing.Compared to shoe-type openers,better seeding depth,uniformity and higher degree of seed coverage were recorded with use of the inverted-T furrow opener with a 65°rake angle.This resulted in better seed coverage in the furrow,a higher emergence rate index,and the highest emergence percentage of maize and mung bean.Our research findings can be generalized to smallholder production systems on loam and clay loam soils where farmers utilize 2WT operated seed drills for crop establishment in both traditional and conservation agriculture-based planting systems.

Modelling air change rate of naturally ventilated dairy buildings using response surface methodology and numerical simulation

The air change rate(ACR)of naturally ventilated dairy buildings(NVDBs)plays an important part in the design and control of the ventilation system,as well as in the estimation of the gaseous emission rate.The objectives of this research were to model the ACR based on a quantitative investigation of the relationship between the ACR and its potential influencing factors,including the opening ratio(r),the building length to width ratio(a),the wind speed(U),and the wind direction(0).The investigations were performed using the response surface methodology integrated with the Box-Behnken design and Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD)simulations.Three response surface models of the ACR of NVDBs were established for three opening ratio ranges of 5%-42.5%,42.5%-80%,and 5%-80%,respectively.It was found that the selection of the opening ratio range had almost no effect on the developed response surface models.The results showed that the ACR of NVDBs was not influenced by a,but was significantly affected by r,U,6,and interaction effects between every two of the three factors.The highest ACR was 6.7 s^(-1),6.0 s^(-1),and 4.0 s^(-1)when 0,U,and r was at their respective medium value while the rest parameters were at the highest values,indicating that the r played an important role in the value of ACR.It was concluded that in the prediction of the ACR of a building,the influences of both individual and interactional effects of 0,U,and r should be considered.

Geometry-based mass grading of mango fruits using image processing

Mango(Mangifera indica)is an important,and popular fruit in Bangladesh.However,the post-harvest processing of it is still mostly performed manually,a situation far from satisfactory,in terms of accuracy and throughput.To automate the grading of mangos(geometry and shape),we developed an image acquisition and processing system to extract projected area,perimeter,and roundness features.In this system,images were acquired using a XGA format color camera of 8-bit gray levels using fluorescent lighting.An image processing algorithm based on region based global thresholding color binarization,combined with median filter and morphological analysis was developed to classify mangos into one of three mass grades such as large,medium,and small.This system achieved an accuracy of 97% for projected area and Feret diameter,79% for perimeter,and 36% for roundness.To achieve a finer grading,two different grading features could be used in sequence.The image grading system is simple and efficient and can be considered a suitable first stage to mechanizing the commercial grading of mangos in Bangladesh.Moreover,the method has the potential to be applied to other crops with suitable adjustments.

Discrete element method simulation of disc type furrow openers in paddy soil

For granular materials,discrete element modeling is one of the best computer tools to simulate their behavior and interactions.A field experiment was carried out to evaluate the performance of disc furrow openers in paddy soil.Discrete element simulation was done to develop a 3D DEM model for notched,toothed and double disc furrow openers using EDEM software.Hertz Mindlin contact model with bonding was applied for simulation to fulfill the obligations of the soil moisture and bonding between the cohesive particles.Simulated and field experimental data were compared to determine the applicability in the different working conditions.The results of the simulation validated the applicability of the Hertz-Mindlin contact model with bonding to simulate the no till paddy soil using an extremely narrow tillage tool.The calibrated value of normal and shear stiffness was 5×10^(7)N/m,and the calibrated value of bond normal and shear strength was 3×10^(7)Pa.The relative error(-1.7%to 20.6%)for the double disc furrow opener was lower as compared with that notch typed(29.2%to 44.4%)and toothed type(31.5%to 45.9%)furrow openers.

Financial management for custom hire service of tractor in Bangladesh

The main purpose of the study was to determine the economic parameters and effective schedules for tractor operation.Secondary data from various sources were used in this research.Some essential data were collected from primary sources through survey.Operating costs were calculated and project financial profitability was determined by four major factors on farm financial measurement techniques,namely,benefit-cost ratio(BCR),net present value(NPV),internal rate of return(IRR),and payback period.Considering the economic use,land topography and cropping pattern was developed to effective scheduling for tractor operation.The operating cost of tractor with implement was found to be US$9.25 per hectare.For replacement of the existing tractor on expiry of economic life,the entrepreneur has to save an amount of US$219 per year in a bank account.Based on the operating cost,annual savings for replacement and a profit margin for the entrepreneur,the rent-out charge of the tractor is estimated at US$11.58 per hectare.Considering 10%interest rate,the NPV of the tractor at existing condition is US$18757.The NPV of tractor indicates that tractor entrepreneurship is considered financially sound and the project is financially viable,with an average IRR of 36.96%.This is because IRR of the tractor was higher than the bank interest rate and it is highly profitable from the viewpoint of individual investors.The Payback period of tractor with implement was determined as 2.03 yrs.The minimum tenure for an economic use of a common tractor used in agriculture is about 6310 hrs.Above this critical use,the utilization of a tractor is economical for a tractor entrepreneur.Depending on the cropping pattern two major and one minor turn-around periods are available in between cropping seasons for tilling operation.The time available for tilling of land is estimated about 140 days at 12 hours a day in a year.To strengthen the existing capacity of the tractor customer hire service entrepreneurs and develop new entrepreneur,appropriate adoption and dissemination programs must be launched in all over Bangladesh.

Heating demand and economic feasibility analysis for year-round vegetable production in Canadian Prairies greenhouses

Greenhouse vegetable production in Canadian Prairies is important for creating a sustainable regional food economy,especially in northern communities.This study included the estimation of heating demand for year-round production and evaluation of the economic feasibility of greenhouse vegetable production(tomato,cucumber,and pepper)in a conceptually designed greenhouse(0.6 ha)located in remote northern communities in Saskatchewan,Canada.The heating simulation was based on a greenhouse heating simulation model(GREENHEAT)developed by the authors recently.The simulation results showed that the annual heating requirement for the production of tomato,cucumber,and pepper are 1486 MJ m^2,1657 MJ m^2,and 1754 MJ m^2,respectively.The economic analysis indicates the net return(NR)from the production of tomato,cucumber,and pepper,are C$69.2/m^2(in Canadian dollar,CAD),C$41.5/m^2,and C$43.8/m^2,respectively,based on the market price C$3.5/kg,C$2.7/kg,and C$8.0/kg,and yields of 55.0 kg m^-2,65.0 kg m^-2,and 23.0 kg m^-2.The net present value(NPV)for the tomato,cucumber,and pepper production are C$1.9 M,C$1.2 M,and C$1.1 M,respectively,and the benefit-cost ratio(BCR)are 1.38,1.21,and 1.21.The economic feasibility analysis indicates the year-round production of vegetables in a greenhouse at remote northern Saskatchewan would be economically profitable.